Sandy, Utah History The area was settled in 1863 as an agricultural community with 4 families claiming the entire 22.3 sq. miles that make up the boundary of today's Sandy, Utah. The city was given it's name by Brigham Young because of the sandy soil and problems of irrigation. Silver was discovered in nearby Little Cottonwood Canyon in 1870 and the town became the nearest supply point for mining and miners, developing a personality as a rough and ready mining community. In 1873 a Railroad was built to connect the town with Salt Lake City. For the next 40 years, Sandy City became the smelter capital of Utah. In 1907, as mines were closing, the streetcar was built to connect Sandy with downtown Salt Lake City and Once again the town shifted gears and reverted to it's agricultural roots. For the next 60 years, Sandy families farmed and commuted to the city, as a typical Utah town dedicated to church, family, and farming. Sandy had grown from 446 people in 1880 to 6000, ninety years later. Steady but limited growth branded Sandy as a agricultural/bedroom community serving Salt Lake. An explosion took place around 1970 when suddenly subdivisions, and a collection of small communities began to pop up in the South East corner of the Salt Lake Valley, and for the 10 years between 1970 and 1980 the population grew from about 6000 to over 52000 people. Sandy, Utah Real Estate Growth in the area since the late 90s has been steady, diverse, and substantial, averaging about 200 single family new home building permits a year, (new homes for sale) until 2006 when permits for new homes for sale exceeded 470 units. In spite of this dynamic growth, the planning commission can boast that 9 out of 10 property owners live within one half mile from a park. The city continues to grow, with a wide variety of new construction projects on the board and in the ground. For information about new homes for sale, town homes, condominiums, P.U.Ds, and lot subdivisions as well as New Condos being planned or under construction visit New Homes. Sandy compares very favorably with the averages of other Utah cities. Examples:
Median house value above state average.
Median house age below state average.
Home rental percentage below state average.
Number of rooms per house above state average.
House ages significantly below state average.
Percentage of population with a bachelors degree or higher is above state average. In 2006 Sandy City was named by Money Magazine as the 23rd best places to live in America. In addition the city has been named each year for each of the last 10 years one of Americas "safest Cities". The crown of achievements however according to locals is the fact that property taxes have not been raised in the last 20 years. Education The many well located and convenient school complexes are a part of the award winning Jordan School district, the largest in the state. The district provides Sandy families with 28 elementary 14 middle, and 6 high schools. Twenty eight are public, 9 are private. Regarding higher learning, there are 7 colleges/universities of over 2000 students within 75 miles of downtown Sandy.
Transportation Sandy City, known as the "Heart of the Wasatch" is bordered on the West by Interstate Highway 15 which connects the Southernmost cities with the Northern towns of Utah and is the main avenue to Salt Lake City. In addition to the network of bus transportation connecting Sandy to Salt Lake, a massive light rail network transports Sandy citizens to the State Capital of Utah for work, education, cultural events and major league sporting activities. Shopping in Sandy It is convenient for Sandy residents to take advantage of the outstanding shopping experiences in nearby Salt Lake City. However, over the last few years the Southtown Mall, and Jordan Commons have provided a first class shopping, entertainment venue. Sandy City Services Sandy has a great website with an abundance of information about the city. Use the City website for additional community information as well as city resources. Be involved, and check back frequently. If you can't find the information you need here, click on the city site at Sandy City Information. |